As soon as I got to Pier 17 I could see there were way more passengers queuing than seats on the boat, which presents a bit of a problem to me as I am disabled from a motorbike accident and queuing, standing, walking, all eventually cause a lot of pain for me. I was already in pain from a day exploring NYC so I made myself known to one of the crew and explained I'd need a seat, they were super helpful and boarded me first, so I could be sure to get a seat, they were also discreet about this, which I really appreciated.
The sailing is a nice relaxing thing, with good views of Manhattan, Statue of Liberty and Governor's Island, all to the tune of jazz fretless bass and trumpet. I really enjoyed the musical element and my teenage son, who found the cruise 'boring', said this was the best bit. High praise indeed from a surly teen.
The only thing that marred this trip, was repeated requests for tips from the crew and band as we neared the end of the trip. I would have tipped both the band and the crew anyway, but asking for tips is crass and we found this most off-putting. So much so, that we cancelled our planned next trip, which was one of the evening ones later in our stay. A tip is offered, never requested.
All in all a good trip, but cheapened by being asked for tips.